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Project Introduction

Albido proposes to develop a Passive Wireless Sensor System for Structural Health Monitoring capable of measuring high-bandwidth temperature and strain of space and aerospace vehicle components operating in extreme environments. The proposed system uses a network of true passive Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) temperature/strain sensors that can be interrogated wirelessly from a distance of several meters. SAW sensors are lightweight, passive (battery-less), simple, reliable, scalable, sensitive, do not disturb the operating environment, can be permanently placed on the critical components, allow quick and inexpensive acquisition of data to diagnose structure performance or failures, and transmit the relevant data to a remote data processing center wirelessly. A low cost software radio approach will be developed to overcome a strategic bottleneck in SAW sensor system development. In Phase I Albido demonstrated the proof-of-concept of the proposed sensor and the transmission capability in an adequate laboratory environment (TRL 3). Based on the successful results of Phase I, we will develop a product prototype in Phase II that will be validated in a relevant environment by comparison testing against conventional instrumentation on a test article indicated by NASA. At the end of Phase II, the sensor system will be at TRL 6.
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Anticipated Benefits

Potential NASA Commercial Applications: The proposed technology allows sensors to be placed on critical aerospace and other components without disturbing the aerodynamic flow. That means they can be left in place and be used for monitoring the health and usage of the components in actual operation of the aerospace vehicles. The sensors are relatively inexpensive and a multitude of them can be used and monitored simultaneously. The technology is ubiquitous, that means it is applicable to a wide variety of components such as space launch vehicles, gas turbine and piston engine components, transmission parts, etc. The proposed wireless technology is easy to install and reconfigure, which makes it very adaptive to any specific application. Passive wireless SAW sensors have many Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) applications within NASA such as: continuous assessment, life of vehicle, thermal protection systems, accelerometers, harsh environment operation, radiation hard operation, ground and in-flight testing, space applications, structural health monitoring (SHM) of spacecraft and launch vehicles, aircrafts, Orbiter Wing Leading Edge Impact Detection System, impact sensors, NASA's ATP facilities, and many others. Of particular importance is to Maintain Vehicle Safety (MVS) between major inspections.
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